What Kind Of Effect/filter On These Pictures

How do I make these types of pictures?

In the first photo look at the subject’s right eye. You can see the blue gelled strobe (a gel is a filter over the strobe like one of these Rosco Color Effects Filter Kit (12 x 12") is slightly above eye level to the subject and slightly behind the subject from the camera perspective. In that same eye you can see a red spot on the floor. This is from the red gelled strobe that is located behind and above the subject and about even with or slightly in front of the subject from the camera perspective. Both lights are tightly focused either by use of a grid or a deep parabolic reflector. There is no front lighting and no backdrop lighting evident.The second photo looks like a single light setup with the light located behind and above the subject and slightly behind the subject from the camera perspective. There is some lighting on the face that is likely from a reflecting panel located in front of the subject. In this shot the shadow edges are not sharp so likely there is a diffusion panel in front of the strobe. The light is not gelled. As in the previous photo the lighting is tightly focused and there is no front lighting or backdrop lighting evident.In the third photo there is a light on the subject’s light that is high and slightly in front of the subject from the camera’s perspective (this might have some diffusion as shadow lines are somewhat soft). There is a second light high on the subject’s left and behind the subject from the camera’s perspective (no diffusion - hard shadow lines). There is likely a reflecting panel low and in front of the subject to provide some fill lighting on the subject surfaces that face the camera. The strobes are fairly long in duration and the shutter speed is somewhat slow (perhaps 1/60 or 1/100sec) to streak the water drops.

What effects/filters do people use in Instagram for the picture to look more modern?

I'd say it's mainly the pushing up of the Lux adjustment to make the pictures pop. Modern really just means what's the current or recent trends. The lux gives the pics an HDR feel which is a current trend. The filters originally used to give pictures a retro feel but, I ironically, they have come to be a modern trend and so most of the filters now give a modern retro look. If that makes sense :) I'd say the only ones that don't look 'modern' are te black and white filters since these make pictures look like older images. Modern images tend to look punchy, vibrant and crisp. If you want that look, I'd say choose a bright and colour-enhancing filter of your choice, bump up the Lux and boost contrast and sharpness. Just don't get carried away ;)

Technically, what is it about Instagram's picture filters that can make photos look so much better?

A question that takes us into  photographic composition and image complexity. First off, it's not just Instagram, but many filter effects from Hipstamatic, through Photoshop and other image manipulation applications. If you look at the filters chosen by Instagram and Hipstamatic you'll see there's a trend in the choice, out of the millions of filter effects available. First they retain overall image content - no big rendering effects that disguise the subject or distort its shape or place other shapes e.g. fractals or pyramids onto the image pixels. Identity is retained.Secondly, all the filters distort colours and tones, shifting them more or less from the norm, but by not too much: this adds interest to the image because it removes the image from the obvious, requiring the viewer to work to interpret it. This is one reason black-and-white images seem more satisfying than colour ones. Thirdly, these filters add what I call optical texture through vignetting, shadowing, framing and partial blur: this added texture again increases complexity - it turns a picture of not much into something richer simply because there's more to look at. And the edge effects or framing fills or makes active in what is usually lacking in unskilled compositions - large quiet spaces not doing much work for the image.Finally, we mustn't forget the importance of the square format. In part because it removes one dimension of choice (landscape or portrait), the square format is easier to work with. It's not a filter effect of course, but the format works more easily with vignetting and framing effects than any rectangular format.